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physician with a quick wit and a gentle heart. He'd been a comfort to her in those bleak years, reassuring and confident when Leah felt having a child was hopeless. It was only fitting that he be the one to tell her she was pregnant.

"Leah," he said, coming into the cubicle. His smile was warm and tender. "It's so good to see you again."

"You were right," she said, holding onto his hand with both of hers. "It's happened. Andrew and I are pregnant."

He said nothing, but then Leah gave him no opportunity.

"Kathy is thrilled for me." Kathy was the nurse who'd collected the urine sample from her.

"Let's sit down and talk," he said, directing her to the chair. "Leah, you don't know how deeply this pains me."

"Pains you?" she asked. "I'm going to have a baby. How could such wonderful news pain you?"

The doctor's eyes softened. He took her hand in his. "Leah, the test is negative."

"There must be some mistake," she said, leaping to her feet.

"I'd give anything to tell you otherwise."

"But I'm late and experienced all the symptoms," she argued. "It isn't possible for me not to be pregnant."

"The mind is very powerful. I don't believe science has a clue of its potential. When a woman wants a child as fervently as you do, she's sometimes able to convince her body she's pregnant. That's what I believe happened in your case."

It wasn't true. Leah refused to believe it, and yet she had no choice. Reaching for her purse, she walked toward the door.

"Are you all right?"

"Sure," she said, but she wasn't and she doubted that she ever would be again.

Chapter 18

"You're back early," Helen Chandler commented when Jody walked into the house after leaving the office party. She took off her coat and hung it in the hall closet.

"Jody, whatever is the matter?" her mother pressed. "You look as if you've been crying." Helen followed her into the kitchen where Jody poured herself a cup of coffee. She wasn't the least bit thirsty, but she needed something to hold onto while she steadied her nerves.

"Where's Timmy?" she asked, surprised not to find her son in front of the television screen, battling it out with alien warlords.

"In his room," Helen answered with a slight frown. "He's wrapping his gift for you. He wouldn't even show me what it is. Now tell me what's wrong. I can't remember seeing you like this in a good long while. You're as pale as a ghost."

"I broke off the engagement with Glen," Jody whispered, not wanting Timmy to hear. Not yet. She'd tell her son as soon as she'd composed herself and could do so without emotion. Her heart wasn't entangled with Glen's and yet she ached for all the might-have-beens.

"But why?" her mother asked, sinking into the chair.

"I don't love Glen."

"Love," her mother cried. "How could you not love someone like Glen? He's perfect for you and Timmy. Why, that man walks on water. You couldn't ask for a better husband."

"I'm not going to argue with you, Mom. Everything you say is true, but it was more than not loving him. I know what it's like to be deeply in love, but when it came right down to it, I realized I couldn't accept second best."

Her mother's shoulders sagged with defeat. "You might have grown to feel that way about him. Jody, for the love of heaven, you've got to let go of the past."

"There was one other minor complication with Glen," she said, holding the coffee mug tightly. "He's in love with someone else and I learned that she's still in love with him too."

Helen braced her elbows against the tabletop and hung her head. "And so you did the noble thing and stepped aside. Oh, Jody, what am I going to do with you?"

Jody laughed and impulsively squeezed her mother's arm. "This entire experience has been a valuable lesson to me. In my heart, I know I did the right thing. I just didn't expect it to hurt so much."

"Life's lessons aren't cheap."

Jody nodded. "Ever since Jeff disappeared, I've clung to the misty memories of our years together. The circumstances surrounding his death and all that followed caused me to build a cocoon around Timmy and me. I was so terribly frightened of being hurt again. Jeff was a good husband and I loved him more than I thought it was possible to love another human, but I've built up those years in my mind into a picture of